Semitrailer



Nov. 27, 1934. D. E. HENNESSY SEMITRAILER Filed Aug. '7, 1933 2Sheets-Sheet l A TTORNEYS.

INVENTOR. DAN/1. E.HEN/VESS) BY Patented Nov. 27, 1 934- sEMl'raAILEnDaniel E. Hennessy, Fla., assignor to Ourtiss Aerocar Company, Inc.,Coral Gables, Fla a corporation of Florida Application August 1, 1933,Serial No. 683,962

2 Claims. (01'. 28033.1)

This invention relates to fire fighting apparatus and more particularlyto an articulated tractortrailer combination forming a mobile completelyself contained fire fighting unit, adapted for use i in rural or forestareas where there is no systematized water supply or as an emergencyunit where the contemplated water supply has dried up or is frozen orfor any other reason rendered unavailable.

Among the objects of the invention are the provision of a unit of theabove character having greatereificiency in the arrangement of itscooperating parts, greater capacity and increased mobility; to decreasethe cost of such apparatus by making effective use of standard, low costpumping apparatus applied to an ordinary automobile roadster or truck;and to provide a mobile fire fighting unit including a water supply inwhich the wheel loads are at a minimum. Other and further objects,residing in the specific construction of the parts, will be apparentfrom the following specification and claims.

It is of the utmost importance that as little time as possible bepermitted to elapse between the inception of afire and the applicationof extinguishing material. In combating fires in isolated districts manyfactors tend to delay the application of a stream of water to the fireor tend to decrease the eficiency of application. The apparatus, such aspump and hose, must be transported to the scene of the fire. Uponarrival a source of water supply must be located, connections betweensupply and pump must be established, and a hose line laid between thepump and fire. The efiiciency of the water stream depends on keeping thesupply connections and hose lines as short as possible. By myarrangement the time of transportation of the apparatus is minimized byemploying a semi-trailer combination particularly adapted to relativelyswift travel over rough roads or even across country. is transportedwith the apparatus, avoiding loss of time in locating a supply, and theamount which can thus be efiiciently transported is substantiallyincreased by my construction of the apparatus itself. The connectionbetween the pump and The water supply Fig. 3 is a sectional view on alarger scale of the coupling between the tractor and trailer vefifthwheel coupling 10. The tractor 1 is equipped with a pump 2 suitablysupported forwardly of the radiator of the tractor and adapted to bedrivenfrom the motor of the tractor by means of a clutch in a mannerwhich is well known and is not, therefore, further described orspecifically illustrated. Pump 2 isprovided with a delivery pipe 3,controlled by a valve 4, and a suction pipe 5, controlled by a valve 6,through which the contents of the tank may be drawn to the pump. Asecond suction pipe '7 controlled by valve 8 is also provided throughwhich water may be pumped into the tank as later described.

The trailer vehicle, generally indicated at 11, is of the semi-trailertype provided with rear wheels 12 and an elevated prow portion 13. Thebody portion of the trailer, including the prow portion, forms a tank14. Tank 14 is so con- 30 structed as to itself form the chassis of thetrailer and is preferably constructed in the manner shown and describedin detail in copending application of Harold H. Robinson, Serial No.679,- 883, filed July 11, 1933, except that in the present case thecapacity of the tank is increased by making the prow portion part of thetank. Since the specific interior construction of the tank itself doesnot form part of the present invention, further description thereof isnot necessary.

Suction pipe 5 is connected to tank 14 through the fifth wheel coupling10 of the tractor and trailer in a mannerbest shown in Fig. 3. The fifthwheel coupling preferably takes the general form of that shown inco-pending application of Harold H. Robinson et al., Serial No. 650,346,filed January 5, 1933, in that it comprises a wheel 20 provided on itsperiphery with a pneumatic tire 21 ,non-rotatably held in arcuatemembers 22 by the ported by a frame 23 secured to the tractor vehicle.in any suitable manner. The hub 24 of wheel 20 rests upon a plurality ofannular rubber members 25, supported on depending member 28 of frame 23.The nose post 26 of the trailer engages within the opening '27 of thewheel hub to effect an articulate coupling between the vehicles, thepneumatic tire 21 cushioning the draft action in all angular positionsof the vehicles while member 25 acts to cushion the vertical load thrusttransmitted from the trailer to the tractor through post 26. The post 26is provided with a double flanged collar 29 and the post is held incoupled relation with the hub by means of an apertured plate 30 engagingbetween the flanges of the collar and releasably secured to the wheel 20by means of machine screws 31. According to the present invention thelower portion of post 26 is made in the form of a pipe or tube 32 andengages within the opening 27 of the hub through a gland nut 35 threadedinto the hub of the wheel to form the upper portion, or a continuationof, opening 27 and acting to compress packing 36 to effect a water-tightseal between the post and hub. A pipe 37 is threaded as at 38 in thelower portion of opening 27 and extends through the annular members 25to a point below frame member 28. A piece of flexible hose 33 connectspipe 37 and pipe 5. A valve 40 inserted in post 26 connects pipe portion32 of the post with a pipe 41 which extends inwardly in the nose portionof the trailer to the bottom of the tank 14, as shown in dotted lines inFig. 2.

The tank is provided with a manhole 43 through which the tank may befilled from a pressure water system, or access had to the interior ofthe tank for any other purpose. The manhole will also be opened whenwater is being pumped from the tank, as later described, to maintainatmospheric pressure in the tank.

The tank forms a support for brackets 44in which a suction hose 45 iscarried, boxes or trays 46 in whichlengths of fire hose 46' are carried,and hangers 47 for hooked ladders 48. A platform 49 is secured to therear of the tank and provided with hand rails 50 which also act as apartial support for the platform. A box 51 for tools, hose nozzles andthe like is secured to the tank forward of the trailer wheels.

The construction above described provides an exceedingly efficient,flexible piece of fire fighting apparatus. The pneumatic couplingbetween the vehicles permits high speeds over rough roads or even acrossfield without danger of throwing the tractor out of control from suddenshocks or pulls due to the momentum 'or inertia of the relatively heavyload of water carried since all such shocks are completely and uniformlycushioned and absorbed by the coupling. l By utilizing the tank itselfas the supporting structure for the hose receptacles, ladder hangers,tool boxes, and other accessories, the need of the usual heavy bodystructure is entirely avoided and greater water capacity and increasedmobility is attained. Furthermore, the center of gravity of theapparatus as a whole is lowered and increased stability therebyachieved.

The operation may be briefly summarized as follows: Upon alarm of firethe apparatus is driven to the scene of the fire with the firemen ridingon the tow car and on rear platform 49. Upon arrival it is onlynecessary to connect delivery hose 46 to delivery pipe 3, bring pump 2into operation by the tow car motor, and an eflective stream of water isimmediately available. Theapparatus may be driven as close to the fireas possible, the effectiveness of the water stream being increased bythe shortness of the hose line thus inade possible. Where a reservoir ofwater is at hand, suction hose 45 may be connected to suction pipe '7',valve 8 opened, valve 6 closed, and the pump operated to .force waterdirectly through the delivery hose from the reservoir. The apparatus mayalso be driven to a relatively distant water supply, such as a pond, andthe tank replenished from such supply by again connecting suction hose45 to pipe '7, closing valve 4, and opening valve 6, whereby the pumpoperates to fill the tank.

It will be understood that various modifications in the details andarrangement of the assembly may be made without departing from the scopeof the invention. Furthermore, the fluid connection through the vehiclecoupling may be employed for other purposes, such as transmittingheating fluid from the motor circulation system of the tractor to apassenger trailer, or transmitting the exhaust gases of the tractormotor to the trailer for the same purpose. Electric cables may becarried through the coupling in a similar manner for transmittingelectrical energy to either of the vehicles from the other. Theconnection may also be made to serve as a link in providing speakingtube communication between. the vehicles. Partial or complete controland operation of the tractor vehicle from the trailer can be effected bypassing the steering and engine control mechanism through the fifthwheel coupling in a manner similar to that shown.

I claim:

1. In a tractor-trailer combination, a coupling comprising a hollowvertical post, open at its ends, rigidly secured to one of the vehicles,a hub member non-rotatably secured to the other vehicle and providedwith a vertical opening extending through the hub member within whichthe said post extends to form an articulated connection between thevehicles, and an annular packing member positioned in the hub openingand makings. fluid-tight seal with the outer surface of the post, theopening in said hub and the hollow post afiording an uninterruptedpathof communication between the vehicles throughout the entire range ofrelative angular moveprovided with a vertical opening, said openingextending through the hub member, the upper portion thereof forming abearing in which the lower portion of the hollow post member is receivedto form an articulated connection between the vehicles, an annularpacking member positioned in the hub opening and making a fluidtightseal with the outer surface of the post,

and a hollow cylindrical member secured to, and forming a continuationof the opening through, the-hub member, said cylindrical member, hub andopeningand hollow post member affording an uninterrupted path ofcommunication.

DANIEL n. HENNESSY.

